Deposed HC judges to be elevated to SC

The judges to be placed in the Supreme Court in the first stage include deposed Chief Justice of Sindh High Court Justice Sabih-ud-Din Ahmad, Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani, two Lahore High Court judges Justice Khawaja Sharif and Justice MA Shahid Siddiqi and a Peshawar High Court judge Justice Ijaz Afzal. All these judges will be placed as junior to all the present SC judges on the seniority list. On the other side, all but one or two non-functional Supreme Court judges will be reinstated subject to administering the new oath. However, they will be reinstated in different stages.

The judges who are likely to be reinstated include Justice Sardar Raza, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayaz and Justice Ghulam Rabbani. Three of these judges including Justice Ch Ijaz will take fresh oath soon after the President has taken oath and the Supreme Court strength will rise up to 21.

With the reinstatement of two judges of the Supreme Court in the third stage and appointment of five senior High Court judges, the Supreme Court strength will be complete.

Meanwhile, the senior most LHC deposesd judge Mr Justice Khawaja Sharif has denied that he is going to take oath as Supreme Court judge on Monday (today). According to our special correspondent from Lahore Justice Sharif has clarified that the news regarding his reinstatement or appointment in the Supreme Court are baseless and nobody has got in touch with him in this regard. “If any such offer is made I shall decide after consulting my colleagues and the leaders of the lawyers’ movement,” he said.